Planter draft device



Feb. 12', 1929. y 1,701,745 B. R. BENJAMIN ET Al. 1

PLANTER DRAFT DEVICE original Filed sept. 28, 1923 Inl/@H2075 y vclevis is attached, the clevis being connectedresalta ret. 12, 1929.

"NE STATES PATENT ori-ica f Ynaar n. BENJAMIN, or oAK PARK, Ann CLEMMA n. nANnY, or nrvnnsrnn rrnrnors, Assrenons 'ro rNfrnnNAfrIoivAL 'HARVESTER COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLiNors, A

conronerron or NEW JERSEY.'

IPLANTER DRAFT DEVICE.

Application filed September 2,8, 1923, Serial No. 665,273. Renewed .Tune 28, 1926.

The present invention relates to improvements in planting apparatus and is directed particularly to means for facilitating the operation of a check-row planter in connection with a tractor.

The object of the invention is to provide structure that will serve to mark the course of the plant rows and accurately gage and maintain a predetermined distance between rows and the action of which willbe largely automatic and, therefore, labor saving. This is accomplished by provision of a novel form of draft connection between a tractor and a planter or other row crop implement characteriaed by a transversely extending draw bar of novel form to which `a freely movable to the implement traveling'from one end to the othery of the draw bar when turns are made at the ends of the rows, thereby shifting e the implement from one side of the tractor to the other and, further, by employing a draft vehicleor tractor having ground wheels which are so spaced that ka previous wheel track lserves to guide the course of the apparatus.

The invention accordingly involves a novel manner of operating a planter in combination with a tractor, and the invention resides in the novel organization and construction of parts, or the equivalents thereof, hereinafter described and claimed. y

ln the accompanying drawing, the tractor and planter arrangement and construction of draft connection are shown in full lines while the successive positions assumed'by the eleinents of the organization during a turn are Y shown at quarter, half, three-quarter, and

full turn, respectively, in dotted lines.

@n the drawing, A designates adraft vehicle, in this instance represented asa tractor ef the wide tread type,pand B designates an ordinary two row check-row rplanter adapted to be actuated by the usual check-row wire C. The distance between rows to be planted is, Vof course, determined by the position ,of the planting elements l0 on the planterand in this case they will be considered as forty-two inches apart, this being the spacing ordinarily employed in actual practice of checkrow corn planting. In the practice of the invention, the planter so equipped is connected to the tractor by means of a draft tongue 11 provided with a clevis l2, which is hook tion the inner or forward edge of the baris formed with rounded bends l5 constituting seats for 'reception of the hook of clevis l2, which is freely slidable on the bar.` The structure so far described may be employed with a draft vehicle or tractor of kany type, providing that the usual marker is in use on the planter or implement if it is desired tor maintain uniform spacing between rows, the oper-V ation being as follows:

During the turn at the ends of the rows the clevishook will ride out of the seat l5 at one end of bar 13, when a certain angularrelation of the tractor and planter is reached, and travel along the bar until it reaches the opposite seat l5,V when the apparatus will straighten out and assume the final vdotted line position of the drawing, the planter having vbeen 'automatically shifted, during the process of turning, from one side ofthe tractor to the other.V If a narrowtread tractor is being used, the furrowleft by the marker guides the course of the` apparatus and uniform distance between rows vis easily maintained. It will also be evidentto those skilled intheart that there will be no interference from` the tractor with the check-row wire, as the planter is held in` suchfposition rela- .l tively tothe tractor that the check fork projects well beyond the *path*V of the tractor wheel. I

-Forfpractice of the inventionin itscoini pleteand preferred form, a drafty vehicle `or tractor having 1 a predetermined width' of tread is employed and on the drawing a trac'- gtoris shown having rear wheels spaced apart a distance twice that betweenthe plantingelements 10; that is, the distance between the inches,v and, asthe draw bar lis half that router edges of the wheel tracks is eighty-four i length and is positioned betweenthewlieels,i-

er edge of wheel mark 16 made onthe oppoics vehicle.

site trip, as clearly illustrated on the drawing. This does away with the marker usually eniployed with a planter and provides a well defined track, easily followed and kaccurately gaging the distance between successiveplant rows.

The structure here specific: lly described exemplifies what is now regarded as the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it will be 'evident to those skilled in the art that considerable variation therefrom is possible without departing from the gist of the invention as defined inthe following claims.

Vile claim as our invention l. In planting apparatus, the combination 0f a draft vehicle, a planter, a connection between the vehicle and'planter comprising a draw bar having a transversely extended portion, a coupling element freely movable therealong, and means for normally retaining said element at one end of said portion of the draw -bar during forward travel and permitting it to move to the opposite end thereof when a certain angle between the vehicle and planter is reached while turning, and retaining the clevis in this new position at the end of the draft bar during renewed forward movement of the draft vehicle.

2. In check-row planting apparatus, the combination of a draft vehicle, a two'row planter, and a connection between the vehicle and planter comprising a draw bar having a transversely extended portion, the length of which-is equal to the distance between the end to end, whereby the planter is automatically maintained in proper relation to the 3. In check-row planting apparatus, the combination of a two row planter, a draft vehicle including ground wheels spaced apart a distance twice that between the vplanting- Aelements of the planter, and a connection between the vehicle and planter comprising a draw bar positioned between said wheels and having a transversely extended portion, the length of which is equal to the distance between the planting elements Vof the planter, and a coupling element freely movable on said bar from end to end, whereby a wheel` track serves to mark the courseland uniformrv spacing is automatically maintained between rows. y

4. In check-row planting apparatus, the combination of a draft vehicle, a planter, aL transversely extending drawbar connected at its ends to thek vehicle, a draft tongue on the planter having a clevis engaging said bar and freely movable therealong, said bar having aVV seat adjacent each end thereof in either of which the clevis may lodge and to be retained in either of said seats by the draft forces developed during straight forward movement to offset the planting apparatus in trailing relation with respect to the draft vehicle.

5. ln check-row planting apparatus, the combination of a draft vehicle, a two row planter, a transversely extending draw bai' connectedvat its ends to the vehicle and having a pair of seats in its forward edge spaced apart a distance equal to that between the planting elements on the planter, and a draft tongue on the planter provided with a` clevis having' a hooked portion slidably engaging said bar and adapted to lodge in either of said seats.

6. The combination with a tractor and a movable body` of means attaching said body to the tractor to operative position off-set at one side of the longitudinal central line thereof andY automatically operatingto transfer said body to operative position off-set at the oppositeY side of said line by a turn of the tractor in that direction.

7. ln an implement attachment for tractors, the combination of a U-shapeddrawbar the arms of which are adapted for connect-ion to a tractor and the bight portionof which is straight and elongated and formed with seats at each end, andan implement having a draft clevis shiftably engaging the bight portion of said drawbar and engageable in either seat, said clevis being held in 'either seat by the draft force developed during straight forward travel and being dislodged therefrom and shifted towards the opposite seat upon horizontal angular movement of the drawbar due to turning movement of the tractor;V

`8. The combination of a tractor, arowcrop implement having operating units thereon spaced apart the predetermined distance tractor and the operating units thereon in proper relation to the predetermined row spacing. f

f Intestimony whereof we affix our signatures. e

BERT R. BENJAMIN. CLEMMA R. RANEY. 

